


our choices seal our fate

by queen_annabeth



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bella is a real human with realistic emotions and thoughts and reactions, Canon-Typical Violence, Does not follow canon at all, F/M, Language, New Moon AU, Sexual Content, imprinting is not a thing for many reasons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:34:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29513973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queen_annabeth/pseuds/queen_annabeth
Summary: Victoria is the one who finds Bella in the meadow. Her appearance is only the catalyst for a series of events that changes things for Bella, Jacob, and nearly everyone they know.
Relationships: Jacob Black/Bella Swan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons.
> 
> This is going to be a very different world. You can pretty much disregard any canon events from now on. I will be changing a lot of things while keeping some the same, but this isn't going to be a rewrite of the entire story. It's going to branch out a lot.
> 
> The entire Quileute/wolf pack thing is going to be a lot different from canon. I'm making changes to fit more within the actual Quileute legends as well as to be more respectful towards the culture. If you have an issue with these changes or merely want to discuss them, feel free to PM me. If there are things that I'm getting wrong, I am open to someone who can talk it through with me and make corrections. I try to do as much research as I can but things might slip past me. I want to be respectful of cultures that aren't mine so please don't hesitate to talk to me about it.

Bella's hands curled into fists as she stumbled into the clearing. Rather than bright, beautiful wildflowers, she was greeted by tall, thick grass. It did nothing to soothe the aching hole in her heart. There was only one benefit to her utter loneliness. No one was there to witness her sink to her knees as she clutched her hand to her chest, closing her eyes against the tears that threatened to fall. There was nothing for her in this place. She could have recalled her memories if she wished, if she wanted the pain that followed. If Jacob had found it with her…

Her heart sunk at the thought of him, filling her with a sense of loss. It was hard not to think that he'd left her behind too, though Bella did come up with every sort of excuse for his sudden absence in her life. He promised her that he would never hurt her. She tried to hold onto that. But, then again, others had made promises to her-promises that were easily broken in an instant. A flash of red on the opposite end of the clearing had Bella scrambling to her feet. Part of her hoped that it was another trick of her mind.

Fear shot through her as she took in the unnatural stillness of the figure. Her pale skin stood out in stark contrast to the fiery tendrils of hair that whipped into the air as a breeze came through the meadow. Bella stood frozen in place as her mind caught up to the reality of the situation. Despite the grudge that she knew Victoria held, somehow she was the last person that Bella expected to see, especially here. Her next thought was one of fatal acceptance. There was nothing that she could do to save herself. Running would only delay the inevitable, and only by mere seconds. So she simply stared, waiting silently. In an instant, Victoria was ten paces away from her.

"I didn't think it would be this easy," she murmured, her eyes scanning the trees behind Bella as if she expected someone else to appear. "Did they abandon you?"

It would be impossible for her to play dumb and pretend like she didn't know who Victoria meant. Neither of them were fools and they knew exactly what lead to this moment. It was clear she expected a response.

"They moved on," she managed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Do they visit?"

She didn't answer right away, wondering if her racing heart would betray a lie.

" _Do it_ ," that voice whispered in her head, anxious and rage-filled.

"Sometimes," she said, keeping it short and simple.

There was no use in babbling. Nothing would stall Victoria if she didn't want it to. James had been the type to keep her talking, gaining some sort of thrill from her fear-filled voice. His mate didn't seem the type to enjoy the same sort of torture. The corner of Victoria's mouth quirked upwards for just a moment.

" _Threaten her_ ," the voice urged her.

"They'll know that it was you," Bella rushed out, taking a step backwards. "You won't get away with it."

Victoria took two slow steps forward, amusement flashing in her eyes.

"Will they even care?" she asked, tilting her head to one side.

Bella didn't respond, letting out a shaking breath as she pushed away the invasive thought that told her no, the Cullens certainly would not care. Part of her wanted to scream for Victoria to get it over with. The other part urged her to fight, to beg, to do something. For Charlie. For Renee. For Jake. But if it came down to it, if it would satisfy Victoria's lust for vengeance, she would gladly die for those that she loved. Bella just hoped that it would end, here and now. Her eyes only started to close when Victoria spoke again, her voice still soft.

"Did he leave any scars?"

It took a moment for Bella to understand exactly who she meant. When she realized that it was James, her breath hitched in her throat and gave her away.

"Show me."

Bella didn't move. Her body was locked in place, readying itself for what would soon happen. Yet it jerked away when she felt a cold hand wrap around her throat. Victoria's red gaze was filled with anger and excitement. Her hand squeezed just slightly, enough to cut off her breath for a few long moments, before she relaxed her grip and repeated her command. Lifting a trembling hand from her side, she turned it over to reveal the small crescent-shaped scar. Victoria's eyes dropped to the place where James bit her, her cold fingers brushing almost tenderly over the raised skin.

Shivers ran down her spine and she fought the urge to rip her hand away. Victoria only tightened the grip on her throat without looking up, making her gasp as those marble-like fingers dug into her skin. As Bella pulled her hand back, she grasped her wrist in a stone grip as well. Those eyes flashed up again, meeting her panicked gaze. She slowly increased the grip around her wrist until Bella was sure that she'd snap it. Bella tried not to react, but tears filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks without permission. Victoria looked almost delighted to see them.

"I'm going to enjoy this," she promised, pulling Bella closer as she flashed her perfect teeth in a feral smile.

Then her head whipped to the right, her smile fading as her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. She didn't say a word, though her hands released Bella all at once, causing her to fall like a marionette whose strings had been cut. She gasped for air, her throat burning as it flooded her lungs and the dark spots at the edges of her vision faded away. There were rivulets of blood running down her wrist where Victoria's nails had cut into her delicate skin but the vampire made no move to attack her again. Following her gaze, she searched the tree-lining for whatever might have caught her attention.

She saw nothing and reluctantly raised her head to look at Victoria, who was standing as still as a statue with her head still turned away. Finally seeing movement out of the corner of her eye, she looked around again and saw what it was. A huge black shape seemed to form from the shadows of the trees, it's sure steps bringing it straight towards Bella and Victoria. It was a tall as a horse but even more massive. As a threatening snarl thundered out from between the creature's sharp incisors, Victoria took one step back. It wasn't a bear, like Charlie and the rest of the town thought. It had to be the monster that everyone feared. There was no explanation.

Bella couldn't quite make it out it's shape until two more padded out, flanking the black one. They were smaller but looked no less powerful. Their lighter shapes, one deep grey and the other brown, were easier to identify. They were wolves. Before she could finally react to her instincts, running in the other direction, two more wolves joined them, bringing the total to five. They were lined in a V formation, each and every one of them focused on Victoria alone. She didn't understand why. Surely they could sense her predatory nature. Surely they would want to turn on the weaker of the two human-shaped creatures in the clearing. But they didn't even seem to notice her presence as they advanced on Victoria and she retreated quickly.

Her eyes were now flickering between the giant wolves and Bella, indecision clear on her face. She waited for her to launch at the animals, to crush them all effortlessly before getting back to killing her. It would have been easy for her, so why hadn't she started. Bella didn't dare to move a muscle, watching as the wolves took slow, measured steps forward. They never broke formation. As the closest wolf came within a mere foot of her, Bella couldn't help the gasp that slipped out. It turned its head slightly, meeting her gaze with dark, nearly black eyes that didn't look like they belonged in any animal. They were too deep. Too knowing. He held her gaze for so long, his large form unmoving.

Then another growl from the leader caused the russet wolf to snap his head back around, towards Victoria. He let out a low whine, his tail swishing angrily before he started moving with the other wolves once more. As she looked away from the wolves and towards Victoria, Bella saw unconcealed fear in her eyes for the first time. It was almost impossible to understand, especially when she spun around and disappeared into the trees on the other end of the clearing. It was hard not to stare with shock at the spot where she'd been standing. The wolves were after her in a second, their large bodies propelling them across the clearing until they too disappeared into the woods.

She knew that she should move but as a sob tore itself out of her, she sat frozen on the ground for far too long. It took minutes for her to pull her shaking body from the ground. A cold breeze whipped through the meadow as she turned to run in the opposite direction, crashing through the forest blindly. It took much longer for Bella to find her way back to where she'd parked her truck. As she sat behind the wheel, her instincts screamed at her to drive away. But she couldn't help but think back on what she saw. There was no reason that Victoria should be afraid of anything, much less an animal. Even five of them should have been easy for her to kill. And the wolves definitely should not have seen her as prey.

With tears still running down her cheeks, Bella finally shoved her key into the ignition and let the comforting roar of her truck calm her for several long seconds. Then she was racing back towards Forks as fast as the truck would go, ready to leave behind whatever she'd just seen. She knew that Victoria probably had a plan in mind, and would eventually tear through the wolves. When she came after Bella, and she would come, she had to be ready, if not for her sake then for Charlie's. If she told him about the wolves, he would have no choice but to go to the station for a few hours and spread around the new information. He would be safe.

That would leave her alone at the house to face Victoria, who would no doubt follow her scent there. At least when she was done, there would be no more pain. That was all that Bella could count on for comfort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to hear your thoughts!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bella might be a little OOC from the books only because there's a point at which her character becomes a little... unbelievable. I'm trying to steer her more towards realistic, especially when it comes to her mental health, because I am experienced at dealing with mental health issues and I don't really love how Meyer approaches them in her books.
> 
> There is a good chance that the Cullens are going to be very minimal in this fic, if they show up at all. This is not a Cullen fic and this is not a fic that will end as a E/B endgame. I'm writing this to explore Bella and Jacob and the bond with the pack and those who are close to the pack, as well as the culture of it all.
> 
> Okay now that that's all done, let's get to the good stuff. This chapter will be reminiscent of New Moon because I need to transition into the separation from canon. After this, it will be different.

" _I'm going to enjoy this."_

_Victoria's voice swept through the clearing but Bella couldn't see her. She turned this way and that, her feet carrying her to the center of the meadow._

" _Over here," Victoria sang in a soft, melodic voice._

_Bella whipped around, catching sight of pale skin and fiery hair out of the corner of her eye. Victoria seemed unconcerned about the black blur that haunted her every step as her taunts continued. Her mind spun as Victoria's light laughter mingled with the thundering growls of the wolf._

" _Get it over with!" Bella yelled, pressing her hands over her ears._

_All at once it stopped, leaving an eerie silence behind._

" _Bella."_

_Her head shot up, her hands falling to her sides as she focused on Edward. He stood no more than fifteen paces away, his eyes avoiding hers even though he said her name._

" _You left," Bella accused him, taking a step forward. "Look at me."_

_He didn't even lift his eyes before his figure blurred into someone else. Jake was looking at her, his brown eyes as warm and inviting as his outstretched hand._

" _I won't hurt you," he said, beckoning her to come closer. "I promise that you can always count on me."_

_Bella shook her head, stopping short._

" _I'll hurt you," she told him._

_His hand dropped to his side as his face fell._

" _You already have."_

_It was too late to see the pale hand on his arm. Victoria gave her a brilliant, dangerous smile as she walked around his tall form._

" _You can't save anyone," she sneered, her nails digging into his soft skin. "I've already killed him."_

_Bella stared with horror as blood ran down his arm and dripped to the ground. She found herself unable to move as Victoria pulled Jacob's wrist up to her mouth and prepared to bite. He stared at her, hurt in his eyes as if she was the one killing him._

" _No!"_

She buried her face in her pillow, muffling her screams so that they wouldn't wake Charlie. He'd been working too many late night shifts since she told him about the wolves, describing each one in as much detail as she could. It was the first real description that he had other than big and scary. Though he was beyond furious that she'd been wandering the woods, he let it go fairly quickly. Sitting up in her bed as she took deep breaths to calm her racing heart, Bella cast a quick look towards her window, half expecting to see a pale face surrounded by red hair. All that she was greeted with was the rising sun. It had been a day and a half since the meadow. Bella waited for Victoria to find her but she never came.

Perhaps it was part of the hunt, something she'd learned from James. To keep her waiting until she was driven mad with fear. Kicking her covers away, Bella slid out of bed and tried not to look at herself in the mirror that hung over her closet door. The last thing that she wanted to see was the deep purple bruises on her throat. Luckily she'd managed to hide them from Charlie with a cleverly arranged scarf that she hadn't ever worn before. He barely seemed to notice, to her benefit. Opening her door quietly, Bella crossed the hall to the bathroom and shut the door as quickly as she could. She barely managed to brush her teeth and splash her face with cold water before a light knock came on the door. Apparently she wasn't as quiet as she thought she was.

"Bells?"

"Yeah?" she called back, turning off the sink water.

"I'm heading to the station. They found another body in the woods and there are some tracks I need to take a look at."

Bella lifted her head, frowning at the door. The tracks had to be from before if the wolves were dead. Were they dead? She shook off the question. It was ridiculous. Of course they were dead.

"Be careful," she said, closing her eyes against the image of Victoria sinking her teeth into Charlie's neck.

"Always am," he said simply.

Bella waited until his heavy footsteps faded before inhaling deeply, her hands braced on the sink to keep them from shaking. Another body meant that this wasn't over. Perhaps one of the wolves managed to escape from Victoria while she killed the others. Or maybe the kill belonged to Victoria.

" _I've already killed him."_

Her eyes snapped open as panic rushed through her body and sent an icy chill down her spine.

"Jake," Bella breathed.

She didn't care how early it was. As soon as she saw Charlie's cruiser disappear down the road from her window, Bella threw on a change of clothes and tied her hair up out of her face. She had to see for herself that her dream was just that. Rushing out of her house so quickly that she nearly tripped over her own threshold, Bella paused only to lock the door before taking quick steps towards her truck. The drive to La Push took longer than she wanted it to as she pushed her truck to its limits. When she finally found herself in the driveway staring down at Jake's house, Bella ignored the misty rain that was now falling, slamming her door shut as loud as she could in the hopes that they would hear and come out. A brief flutter of a curtain at the front window was all that she saw as she approached the house. Before she could reach the door, it opened to reveal Billy with an expectant look on his face.

"I need to see him," Bella rushed out.

She couldn't explain to him why it was so important. In that moment, she didn't care about ignored phone calls or all the lies that she'd been told. All that she needed was to see Jake, to know that he was alive and not lying dead in the middle of the woods.

"He's not here," Billy said.

His face could have been made of stone for all of the emotion that he showed. It struck her deeply to see it. Bella racked her brain, trying to think of what could have happened to make things like this. Before, Billy seemed thrilled to have her around Jacob again. Now it seemed that he would rather she stayed far away.

"Where is he?" Bella demanded, ready to receive another lie in response.

As if he couldn't help himself, Billy's lifted slowly and peered over her shoulder.

"What are you doing here, Bella?"

She froze in place, closing her eyes for just a moment as relief flooded her. It didn't matter that his voice was tight with anger and that the words nearly came out in a growl. He was _alive._ She could deal with the rest later. Turning around, her heart dropped as she looked up at him. He'd changed in such a short time that she had a hard time believing that this was her Jacob. Her sun. Not only was his body different, thicker and more defined, but his face was hard and angry. Without his long, beautiful hair to soften his features, he looked older. His eyes were no longer warm, instead filled with resentment and darkness.

"You're alive," she said, all of this forgotten as her eyes fell to his bare chest, watching it rise and fall for several moments.

When she looked back up at his face, she saw the barest flicker of surprise before his gaze settled back into its tense glare.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated.

Before she could say a word, Bella noticed that they weren't alone. It didn't come as much of a surprise to see Sam Uley standing a ways back, three other tall, imposing figures with him. Squinting through the rain that was coming down harder now, she picked out Embry from the faces. He was no longer the bright-faced boy she met in Jacob's garage. His face was just as hard and angry. Fury rose in her own chest at the sight of him, so like Jacob was now. Bella whipped around to give Billy a piece of her mind for hiding this from her but all that she saw was a closed door.

"Bella," Jacob said impatiently.

She turned back to look at him, her brow furrowed and her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"I want to talk," she said, hating how weak her voice sounded.

"So talk."

His open hostility caused her chest to flare up with intense pain. He'd never looked at or talked to anyone like this, much less her.

"Alone," Bella snapped, finally having enough of this.

Her voice was stronger now but Jacob seemed unaffected. How did he do this? What happened to make him this way? As he turned his head reluctantly, Bella knew where he was looking. In fact, everyone's head turned towards Sam, who was staring at Bella without concern. He seemed utterly unperturbed by the entire situation. For a brief moment, she wished that she was stronger so that she might make him fear her like he'd done with Jacob, before now at least. When he nodded once, it only served to stoke the anger bubbling in her chest. She didn't need permission from him to talk to her best friend and, as far as she was concerned, neither did Jake.

Without saying a word, Jacob took off towards the back of the house. Bella stood still for just a moment in the wake of his abrupt movement before staggering off of the porch to follow him. It was hard not to notice how graceful his steps were now, especially in the wake of her own stumbling. When she looked back, she saw Sam and the others filing into Jake's house one by one until the door was closed again. It took a long time but when they were finally hidden by the garage, she hurried to match his long strides and stood in front of him, stopping him in place.

"It's not what you think," he said, cutting off whatever she was ready to say.

"So what is it, then?" Bella demanded.

His jaw tightened and he looked away from her.

"I can't tell you."

Bella took a step back, shaking her head as she wiped the rain from her eyes.

"I guess you don't need me now," she said with a shrug, trying not to break down in front of him. "You have Sam now."

"This isn't Sam's fault," Jake snapped, looking at her again.

The bitterness on his face was directed towards her.

"So what? He's helping you?" Bella asked doubtfully.

"As much as he can."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What happened? What changed? If you tell me, maybe _I_ can help."

"You can't," Jacob said harshly, as if the very idea was laughable.

She tried not to let it get under her skin but it was too hard. Bella watched as he took deep breaths, his hands visibly shaking.

"What did he do to you?" Bella said, stepping towards him this time.

She barely reached out to touch his arm before he was jerking away with his hands up to stop her.

"Don't touch me," he whispered.

Bella blinked several times, glancing over his shoulder.

"Is he watching?"

It was her turn to be bitter. Jake's eyes lifted to hers and they burned with hotter anger than she'd seen until now.

"If you want someone to blame-" he said, advancing on her slowly. "-why don't you blame those filthy bloodsuckers that you love so much?"

Bella's mouth fell open with shock as a chill ran through her that had nothing to do with the rain. Averting her eyes, she snapped her mouth closed and shook her head several times.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered out, tension draining from her body.

Jacob simply scoffed.

"I'm not going to say their names," he said, his voice quieter now. "I don't like hurting you."

Bella looked up at him, wondering what he thought this conversation was doing to to her if it wasn't hurting her?

"I know what saying it does to you," he told her.

Even though he didn't say it, the pain still came.

"They're gone," Bella said.

"It doesn't matter. The damage is done."

"What damage?" she demanded.

" _Don't push him_ ," Edward warned her, his voice distant and muddled like he was talking to her through water.

Bella shuddered at the sound, the movement catching Jacob's eye.

"There's nothing more to say," he told her, turning his back.

"You haven't said anything yet," Bella argued, following him as he walked back towards the house.

"Go home."

She nearly tripped over a root, steadying herself only to see him striding further and further away from her.

"You promised me!" Bella shouted at his retreating back.

He stopped in place, his entire body trembling at this point. She waited for him to turn around but all he did was glance over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, his voice cold and unrecognizable.

She wasn't going to let it go. She wasn't going to let _him_ go. Edward didn't let her fight for him. He didn't stop when she called after him but Jake did. He was still there and that meant that she still had a chance.

"Jake please," she said, pulling him around to look at her.

Bella withdrew her hand quickly as if it had been stung. His skin was even hotter than it had been that night at the movies. Her hand burned at the feeling. Was he still sick? He shouldn't be out in the rain if that was the case. He shouldn't be out of the house at all. Looking up at him, she did her best to keep the threatening tears at bay.

"I need you," she said, unable to keep the waver out of her voice.

He looked pained, his eyes darting around to look anywhere but at her.

"Just give me some time," Bella said, trying to get through to him. "Don't give up on me."

Jake looked at her, his face dropping and finally losing the anger and resentment. He looked more like her Jake, but still not quite right.

"Don't blame yourself, Bella. It's not about you," he said, reaching out towards her.

His hand dropped quickly before he could touch any part of her. Bella felt rejected, even though her mind tried to scream at her that it wasn't as bad as what she'd experienced before.

"It's me. I'm not good," Jacob said, backing away from her.

Before she could argue, he was turning around to run back into the house. It was like he was running scared from her when, from what she'd seen and heard from his own mouth, it was Sam that he should have been running from. Billy didn't have to say anything when he rolled out onto the porch a few minutes later to see her still standing halfway between the house and the garage. She turned her back on him, walking to her truck with a blank look on her face and an ache in her chest.

Before she knew it, she was in her truck and headed back towards Forks, trying not to let this destroy her. It was hard to hold the pieces of herself together now that there was no one there to help her. She didn't realize just how dependent she'd become on him until now. Once Bella made it to her house, she cut the engine but didn't move from the seat, staring straight ahead with unseeing eyes. Though her clothing was cold and wet, she barely felt it. Somehow, though her mind tried to convince her otherwise, Bella couldn't help but feel that this was just as bad as what Edward had done to her. At least in his case, she always had the feeling that he was settling for her. Jacob's promises were easier to believe.

Swallowing hard, she felt a twinge of pain in her throat and brushed her fingers over the bruises that stood out on her pale skin. She'd forgotten to wear a scarf or anything to cover it. They were impossible not to notice but Jake hadn't even given them a second glance. It was hard not to believe that this had anything to do with her when it seemed like any concern or care he had for her seemed to fade away at the snap of Sam's fingers. Fighting back a sob, Bella realized that the tears that brimmed in her eyes were ones of anger, not devastation or sadness.

She hated Sam Uley. She hated Billy and she hated Embry and she even hated Jacob a little bit in that moment. Most of all, she hated herself. She may as well have asked for the heartache when she decided to let someone else in. Sitting there in her truck, her body shivering and her hands still clutching the steering wheel, Bella felt whatever hope and peace Jacob might have instilled in her slip away. She was utterly alone again. Instead of bringing more tears to her eyes, the realization burrowed deep in her chest as she finally stepped out of her truck and made her way inside.

Bella had no sooner taken a hot shower than she heard a loud knock on the door below. Freezing in the middle of pulling a shirt over her head, she took deep breaths and told herself that if Victoria was coming for her now, she certainly wouldn't knock before coming in. Wrapping her scarf haphazardly around her throat once she got her shirt on, Bella walked downstairs warily and carefully snatched up a poker from the fireplace to hide behind her back as she approached the door.

It wouldn't do much good against a vampire but even humans might have nefarious reasons for knocking on the door so loudly in the middle of the morning. She expected that they would knock again, as she was taking her time to get to the door, but whoever it was either left or waited patiently. Pushing up on her toes, she peered through the peephole only to gasp quietly when she saw who was standing on the other side of the door in a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt rather than the cut-offs she'd seen him in earlier. Carefully unlocking the door, Bella gripped the poker tighter as she opened it to face the visitor.

"Hello Bella," Sam Uley said, his voice much gentler than she could have imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I understand that I'm following canon pretty closely right now but I promise it will diverge in the next few chapters. There are just canon conversations and scenes that I need to follow to get there.
> 
> The Sam-Bella conversation in this chapter mostly exists so that I can get a feel for writing Sam because he is going to be an important feature in the story, as well as the rest of the pack. I also want to lay the groundwork for the relationship that Bella will have with him starting in the next chapter.
> 
> I try to keep mistakes to a minimum but this is unbeta'd so I have to do all the editing myself. Some things may slip through the cracks and I'm sorry for that.

It took a long few moments for Bella to process the fact that Sam Uley was standing at her door. When she dropped her arms to her side, the sharp end of the iron poker that she held hit the floor with a thunk. Sam's eyes flickered downwards briefly and he almost looked amused at the sight of her weapon. She tightened her grip on the poker, anger quickly overtaking her surprise and confusion.

"May I come in?" Sam asked, his polite words and tone knocking her off kilter for a second.

"No," Bella said, tempted to slam the door shut right in his face.

But if he was here wanting to talk to her, she was certainly willing to give him a piece of her mind. Dangerous or not, and Bella was certain that he was, he'd done the wrong thing by going after Jake. She wasn't going to let go of her best friend without a fight, even if she had to pry him free from whatever Sam's influence.

"I'm not here to hurt you," he assured her calmly.

"Because I have every reason to trust you," Bella said sarcastically.

"I've never done anything to harm you or Jacob."

She let out a hissing scoff, shaking her head.

"Do you even realize how scared he was of you?" Bella demanded, her voice wavering as she remembered Jake's confessions before all of this happened. "He was _terrified_. And now I'm just supposed to believe that you're helping him?"

Sam didn't look fazed by her words.

"I am helping him," he said.

She blinked back frustrated tears, wondering why Sam came at all if he was just going to repeat the words that he'd no doubt put in Jacob's head.

"I want you to leave," Bella said, her hands shaking with anger and devastation.

"I came here to help you too," Sam said, his voice layered with understanding and what might have been an attempt at comfort.

She looked up at him, disbelief written across her face.

"I do not want your help," she hissed at him, enunciating every word slowly. "I want you to let Jacob go."

"Bella whether you believe it or not, we are exactly what Jacob needs the most right now."

She shook her head, making it clear that she didn't believe him.

"He will come to you again," Sam said, taking her by surprise. "No matter what I say, it seems that I can't convince him otherwise."

Bella simply blinked, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she mustered up a heated glare.

"So what? You want me to send him away when he does?" she asked, her voice tight and low. "Because I don't care if you threaten me, I will not give up on him. I'm not going to lose him too."

The words spilled from her mouth before she could call them back. When Sam's eyes flashed with sympathy, she was forced to remember who exactly found her in the middle of the forest after her heart shattered. Bella hated that he saw her so vulnerable.

"What Jacob is going through is...isolating," Sam said, as if he was trying to be as vague as possible.

With Jake it was annoying. With Sam it was downright infuriating.

"Then stop isolating him," Bella said through gritted teeth.

For just a moment, a hint of distress and understanding broke through Sam's calm exterior and she was almost glad to see that she was getting under his skin. At least he wasn't quite as unflappable as he tried to make himself seem.

"He's isolating himself," he told her, his words filled with more emotion than before. "I can see how you might think differently but I am not forcing his hand. I went through what Jacob is experiencing right now and I did it entirely alone. I never told him that he had to do the same."

Bella stared at him, taken aback by his honest words. He still wouldn't admit to exactly what Jake was going through but at least this was a step in the direction of knowing the truth. Taking a deep breath, she let herself calm down for just a moment.

"Jake told me that the-" she cut off, trying to push past the ache in her chest. "-the Cullens...had something to do with this."

"They set things in motion," Sam confirmed.

"But they're gone," Bella argued.

He looked almost pained as he nodded in agreement.

"It was too late."

She shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around all that was going on. Sam wasn't giving her any answers, just more questions. For at least the fourth time, she wondered why he came at all.

"I don't understand any of this," Bella said, sounding more helpless than angry.

"And you may never understand it," Sam warned her, ignoring her glower. "You just have a decision to make. Either let him go and let us help him or accept that you may have to do what you can to help him without knowing the whole truth."

Bella's eyes widened and she shoved the door open, taking a step towards him. It didn't matter that she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. He had to know that she meant what she was about to say.

"I will never let him go," she said, making sure every word was clear.

Instead of looking surprised, Sam simply gave her the slightest of smiles. She stared at him with confusion. She wondered if he was anticipating her answer. As he moved backwards and turned around, Bella watched him go feeling more unsatisfied than before.

"Bella?" Sam said, glancing back at her before she could shut the door. "You should stay out of the woods. If not for your sake, then for those who care about you."

She looked at him with alarm, wondering how he knew or why he cared about her venture into the woods. When he nodded at her throat, she lifted her hand to the scarf that covered her bruises. With a slightly open mouth, Bella watched as he made his way down the street on foot. Unless Jacob mentioned seeing them when they were arguing, how could Sam know about the bruises? And how did he know that she received them in the woods? What the hell was going on?

*****

As Bella was woken from a dead sleep by the sound of something hitting her window, she didn't think before staggering out of bed, her movements made slow and clumsy by her sleep-addled mind. Her eyes were itchy and she could feel wetness on her cheeks. She must have been crying in her sleep. Wiping them away, she moved warily towards the window until she saw a huge, dark shape on the other side, barely illuminated by the moonlight. A scream caught in her throat as she stumbled backwards. Not now. Not while Charlie was there. He couldn't walk in on this. As the sound of something else hitting her window reverberated in her ears, Bella squeezed her eyes shut. Then another noise rose out of the dark, a husky voice that she didn't expect.

"Bella," it called to her, clearly trying not to make too much noise. "Open the window."

Her eyes sprung open as she placed the voice and her heart skipped a beat in her chest for an entirely different reason. Approaching quicker this time, she slid the glass upwards as quietly as she could before leaning out. Sure enough, Jacob was standing beside the house looking up at her. He wore nothing but a pair of cut-offs, his bare feet sinking into the grass.

"Jake," she breathed, leaning out further. "What the hell are you doing here?"

He lifted his shoulder in a lazy shrug.

"Keeping my promise."

She let out a huff, shaking her head. It was hard to believe that Sam was right about him coming. As much as she hated it, it seemed like he knew Jacob better than she thought.

"Get out of the way," Jacob told her.

She frowned at him for just a moment as he backed up several feet. Realizing his intent, Bella's eyes widened and she frantically began to discourage him from whatever he was about to try. He wouldn't listen, which was typically of him nowadays.

"No Jake!" she hissed, but it was too late.

Staggering back towards her bed, Bella waited with bated breath for the inevitable thump as his effort to _climb_ up into her window failed. Instead she heard light movements and the creak of the spruce tree outside of her window bending. Then Jacob was launching through the window, landing lightly on the balls of his feet. They both froze in place, waiting to see if Charlie heard anything. When he let out a muffled snore, Jake immediately relaxed and grinned triumphantly in her direction. Bella didn't return the smile.

"Since when did you promise to kill yourself trying to get into my room?" she demanded quietly.

Jacob simply snorted.

"I'm here, aren't I?"

Bella narrowed her eyes, tempted to snap at him that it was too damn late for that. She'd cried herself to sleep over him. Now he was standing in her room smirking at her like nothing ever happened. It was too much for her all too soon.

"Look I'm sorry," he said, advancing on her.

Bella held her hand out, stopping him before he could get to her.

"I should tell you to go away," she said, her voice sounding more tired than commanding.

It was cruel to throw his own words back in his face but she couldn't hide her hurt. Or perhaps she didn't want to.

His face fell.

"Bella…"

Her eyes flashed up to his and she saw the honest intent behind the bitterness and anger that still lined his face. It didn't do much to chip away at her own irritation. She was tempted to shove at his shoulders, to push him back towards the window and make him leave. But he was a solid wall of muscle and she knew that her pathetic strength wouldn't do much in the way of moving him. Taking into account her absolute exhaustion from the events of the past week and Bella just couldn't bring herself to do any of it. Her fear over Victoria and her anger and sadness over Jacob had taken its toll. Swaying lightly on her feet, she staggered back to her bed and sunk down with a heavy sigh.

"Bella," Jacob said, something like alarm in his voice.

He moved towards her way too quickly, falling to his knees in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching up to brush her loose hair away from her face.

Bella flinched away from him before meeting his eyes.

"How could I be?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He looked guilty, almost anguished.

"I'm sorry."

It was sincere. There was no way to deny or doubt it.

"I don't want your apologies," Bella said.

He let out a deep sigh, his hand going to her knee. His skin was still scorching, burning her through the thin fabric of her pajama pants. He didn't look sick. He looked huge and alert. It was tempting to reach her hand out and brush it over his smooth skin, to comfort him and bury her face in his shoulder. Bella wanted everything to be okay between them but it was harder than she thought to forget his harsh words.

"I want to explain," Jake said, lifting his head.

He looked pained, his entire face screwed up with effort. His breath finally came out in a rush as his shoulders slumped.

"I wish I could."

Bella lifted her hand, twisting her fingers into his short hair.

"I hate this," she admitted, resisting the urge to press her forehead to his. "I hate what they've done to you."

Jacob reached up, pulling her hand away. Before she could feel the sting of rejection yet again, he slid his fingers through hers and turned her hand over. She watched as he traced her bruise wrist with his eyes before they fell on the crescent-shaped scar on her palm. HIs fingers traced the scar and he seemed to shudder at the colder temperature of it.

"Have you ever had a secret?" Jacob asked, looking up at her without releasing her hand. "One that you couldn't tell anyone because it wasn't yours to tell?"

He looked at her meaningfully. Bella didn't have to say a thing. They both knew the secret she kept silent. Jacob took her silence as a confirmation, nodding once.

"Loyalty gets in the way of what we want," he said bitterly.

"Sam came to see me," Bella said without thinking.

Jacob's eyes hardened for just a moment.

"I know," he said, his voice tight.

"Is he the reason you can't tell me?"

He stared at her, looking desperate as if he was trying to make her understand something.

"You can't tell me that either," Bella sighed, feeling that burst of hatred for Sam Uley once more.

"You already know," Jacob said, standing up to turn away from her.

She frowned at his back.

"What are you talking about?" Bella asked, pushing herself to stand as well.

"I told you before," he said, gripping at his hair with one hand.

Then, as if inspiration had stuck, Jacob whirled around with intensity written across his face.

"You can guess," he breathed, crossing the room back to her.

He stood much closer than before, his face inches away from hers as he looked into her eyes.

"That's our loophole."

Bella shook her head, still unable to wrap her mind around what he was saying.

"You want me to guess your secret?" she asked.

Jacob nodded, looking hopeful for the first time since their heated confrontation.

"I can help," he said, breathing hard. "Remember that day on the beach in La Push?"

"Of course."

"Tell me about it."

Bella began recounting what she remembered, from his inquiries about her truck and the conversation about his Rabbit. Her cheeks grew warm as she remembered her horrible attempts at flirting that somehow managed to charm the younger, more clueless Jacob.

"You told me about the Quileute legends."

Jacob's eyes slipped closed.

"Yes," he said tensely.

Bella knew that they were on the cusp of something but she didn't know what.

"Do you remember what I said?" he asked her, every word coming out slowly as if it caused him actual pain to speak them. "Do you remember all the stor-"

She watched as he cut off, a frustrated noise escaping from his mouth.

"All the stories?" Bella finished for him.

He simply nodded as she sorted through her mind. One story stuck out in particular but she didn't know why he'd want to bring it up. There was a prelude, something about Quileute warriors, but the details wouldn't quite pass through the exhausted and frustrated haze in her mind. As she started to shake her head, Jacob let out a blistering curse and suddenly his large hands were cupping her face gently.

"You know this," he said, staring into her eyes.

Bella blinked twice, thinking as hard as she could for him. When she didn't say anything, he pulled his hands away and started to back up.

"Wait," her hand shot out, grabbing his before he could go too far.

Jake looked up at her with a tortured gaze.

"Can't you just...leave?"

He shook his head miserably.

"It's a life sentence Bells," Jake said.

"No," she said, stepping towards him. "We could run away, just you and me."

Jacob looked almost surprised.

"I can't," he said after a long few moments during which she thought he might actually say yes. "It's not something that I can run away from. But I would run away with you, if I could."

Somehow his words didn't comfort her. Especially when he looked over at the window, his shoulders shaking.

"I've got to leave."

"Why?" Bella demanded.

As much as she didn't want him to be here five minutes ago, now she didn't want him to leave. Inhaling a shaking breath, she looked up at him hesitantly. Things were slightly better now but she didn't know what he'd be like the next time she saw him. There was every chance that Sam would get him back to refusing to see her. She trusted the older man about as far as she could throw him.

"You need your rest," Jacob told her, looking like he wanted to leave as much as she wanted him to. "And I need you to figure this out."

Bella didn't argue further, sinking her teeth into her lower lip.

"Besides, they're probably wondering where I am. I should go let them know," he said with a frown.

"You don't have to tell them anything," she protested.

"But I will."

He sounded resigned to it, as if he had no choice. Angry tears sprung to her eyes before she could help it. Seeing her reaction, Jacob gathered her into a hug with a whispered, "Come here."

Bella went into his arms without argument, pressing her face into his too-warm skin. Her arms slid around him, her hands locking together as if she could keep him here.

"Please try to remember," he murmured in her ear, stroking her hair. "It would be so much easier if you knew."

She briefly resisted when he tried to pull away but finally released him, knowing that she would never take away his free will. When his soft lips pressed to her forehead, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh as her eyes fluttered closed. Then he was gone and she felt the absence of his warmth. When she finally dragged her eyes open again, Bella gasped at the sight of him leaning out of her window.

"Jake wait-"

She lurched forward, nearly screaming in panic when he fell out into the open air. Leaning out of the window, she stared down at him with wide eyes where he landed gracefully on the ground. Without looking up at her again, Jacob took off running into the woods. Shaking her head, she remembered Sam's words. There was a chance that she may never understand exactly what was going on but for Jake, she would certainly try to.

*****

Bella gasped, jerking upright as she was startled out of sleep. Sunlight streamed through her window and nearly blinded her as she kicked her covers away and took deep breaths, pushing her hair out of her face. Her dreams were as vivid as ever but, for the first time in a long time, Edward was nowhere to be found. Instead she'd wandered through the woods, panic rising in her until she found her way to First Beach. That was when she saw herself in a distance walking with a younger, happier Jake. Her heart ached for the innocent look that had been taken so cruelly from him. Then she heard what he was saying.

" _One of our legends claims that we descended from wolves," he said with a smile, clearly finding humor in the story he didn't believe. "They say that the wolves are still our brothers. It's against tribal law to kill them. And according to the legend, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolves that come from men."_

Bella briefly saw the calculating look on her face but could only focus on Jacob.

" _Werewolves have enemies?"_ _her other self asked._

" _Only one."_

Tearing herself from the memory of the dream, Bella shook her head and tried to come to terms with what she'd remembered. Surely it couldn't be true. It was obviously the story that Jacob wanted to remember but...could it really be true? Was all of it real? Every scary story that she dismissed when she was younger? What other monsters were out there? Clapping her hand over her mouth, she remembered all of the dead bodies they'd been finding over the past few months and all of the blood and wolf tracks they'd been finding near the deceased. Running to the bathroom, Bella made it just in time to expel the meager contents of her stomach.

Once she got herself under control, Bella washed her mouth out and brushed her teeth, getting rid of the sour taste. As she spat out the last of the toothpaste, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Despite getting sick only moments earlier, she noticed more life in her face than she'd seen since Edward left. Her eyes were blazing with determination and there was an angry flush in her cheeks. Getting dressed quickly with her scarf carefully placed around her throat, Bella grabbed her keys and bag before hurrying downstairs. To her surprise, Charlie was sitting at the table instead of gone to the station. Though it was technically the first day of her spring break, she didn't expect him to be there.

"Are you getting sick again?" he said, his forehead creased with a frown.

Clearly he'd heard her throwing up.

"Just a bad dream," Bella dismissed with a shake of her head.

"I didn't hear you wake up," he commented, clearly referring to her habit of screaming.

She didn't reply, pouring herself a cup of coffee to shake of the residual tiredness in her bones. There was no way to tell him the truth, that the monsters in her dreams couldn't compare to the ones that were real and breathing. It was no wonder Jacob didn't want to tell her anything.

"I'm going to La Push," she said, turning around to lean against the counter.

"You sure about that?" Charlie asked, though he didn't sound surprised.

Bella nodded as she took a sip of the warm drink.

"He'll talk to me," she said confidently.

There was no doubt in her mind that this was one conversation Jacob wouldn't walk away from. She'd done what he asked. She figured it out. Now it was his turn to talk.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sam is going to be with Emily in this fic, despite the fact that imprinting is not. I love Leah and I like Sam but I don't like them together. There will be a scene later on that will explain how it happens.
> 
> Emily is not going to have her scars in this fic, seeing as they come about partially because Sam imprinted on her but also because of my own decision to leave that out. I would be happy to discuss those reasons through private messaging if anyone doesn't like that decision.
> 
> So after this chapter is where I'll really start to divert from canon because I had to get all of the "Bella figures it out" stuff out of the way first. Here's where we get to have fun. I hope that all of you are ready.

As Bella drove to La Push, she couldn't help but notice that it was a rare nearly cloudless day. The sun brightened everything, from the green foliage surrounding her to the chipped red paint of Jacob's house. Slowly maneuvering her truck up the drive, Bella finally came to a stop and simply stared forward. She could walk away now and forget all of this. Perhaps it would be easier on her herself to get out now before she found herself in the middle of another impossible situation.

But her chest ached at the mere thought of leaving and Bella knew that she wasn't strong enough to do it. It wasn't fair to Jacob for her to depend on him so much, especially with all that he was going through, but she couldn't see to help it. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead to the steering wheel and took several slow, measured breaths. For once, Edward's voice was silent in her mind. He didn't seem to have anything to say about her walking into the house of a werewolf.

The thought of the word, and the implications of her accepting the truth about Jacob, brought a hysterical giggle out of Bella's mouth that she quickly covered with her hand. Finally lifting her head again, Bella saw that the curtains on the front window were open and she could see the faintest shadow of Billy moving around the house. At least she knew that he was home. Narrowing her eyes, Bella somehow knew that he was aware of all that was happening. All of the excuses and lies that he threw her way about Jacob being sick started to make her angry until she remembered that he was probably a father trying to do what was best for his son, just like Charlie did for her.

Slipping out her truck, Bella caught herself before a slick spot of mud sent her feet flying from beneath her. Of course she'd managed to find the one spot on the entire property that hadn't dried in the morning sun. Closing her door with a slam so that no one would be surprised by her presence, Bella made her way up to the door with determination in every step. By the time she knocked and Billy opened it, she knew that nothing would stop her from seeing Jacob, even his protective father.

"Hello Bella," he said pleasantly as if he hadn't seen the blowup between her and Jacob not even twenty-four hours earlier.

She didn't want to get into that. It would just waste time.

"I need to see him."

His carefully blank look faltered for just a moment.

"I'm sorry, he's not here," Billy said.

With narrowed eyes, Bella knew that he was lying to her yet again..

"I'm sorry too," she said.

He looked relieved, as if he really thought she was about to leave. Instead she quickly, and with a rare moment of grace, managed to squeeze herself through the doorway and around his wheelchair.

"I really need to see him," she said as an excuse, knowing that this broke a few etiquette rules.

"Bella," Billy called out, but he was helpless to stop her.

She knew exactly which room was Jake's as she made her way down the hallway. Once she pushed the door open, all of her determination and steam disappeared at the sight of him lying unsuccessfully on the tiny bed that no longer fit his large body. Bella stopped in place, her eyes fixed on the almost peaceful expression on his face. It made him look more like the sixteen-year-old that he really was, rather than the grown adult that he'd grown to look like. He was wearing even less than last night and, as he turned over to face the ceiling, Bella watched the sheet tug down to his hips with a flush blooming in her cheeks. There was every chance that he was naked beneath that sheet.

Averting her eyes to his face, she knew that she couldn't wake him up so selfishly, no matter how desperate she was to hear everything from him. Part of her wondered if he could talk to her about it now that she figured it out or if whatever Sam did to him was still in effect. As if summoned by the mere thought of him, movement from Jacob's window caught her eye and she lifted her head only to see four huge men coming out of the forest wearing varying types of shorts. She slowly backed out of Jacob's room, closing the door quietly.

"I think you should go, Bella," Billy said as she passed through the living room.

"Not this time Billy," she said, barely glancing his way.

If Jacob wasn't awake to hear what she had to say, Sam was certainly going to get an earful. It didn't really matter to her that she was approaching four dangerous, possibly human-killing werewolves. A red haze of anger lingered in her mind and cut off any common sense or inhibitions in that moment.

"He didn't want this!" Bella yelled, shoving at Sam's shoulders.

She knew that the backwards step he took had nothing to do with her own strength, but was probably just to absorb her shove so she wouldn't hurt herself. The thought made her even angrier, for some reason.

"What did he tell you?" the man to Sam's right growled, advancing on her.

She took more than one step back, flinching away from the violence in his eyes.

"Paul," Sam said in a commanding voice, his arm reaching out to stop him before he could get close to Bella. "Calm down, both of you."

Bella ignored his order. He didn't have any influence over her.

"He didn't tell me anything," she snapped back, because apparently her sense of self-preservation flew out the window with her fury. "He tried but he couldn't because of what _you_ did to him."

Her eyes moved back to Sam at the accusation.

"Careful Bella," he warned.

"How does it work?" she demanded, ignoring his words. "What? He just has to do whatever you tell him to do? Then why didn't you tell him to stay away from me if you wanted me in the dark so badly?"

Sam didn't meet her eyes, instead glancing over at Embry and nodding at him. Before Jacob's friend could pull her away, she jerked out of his arms.

"He hates this," she hissed at Sam. "If he decides to fight it, I will be right there helping him."

The angry one, Paul, let out a bitter burst of laughter. It was the last straw as far as Bella was concerned. Rearing back, she didn't listen to Sam's second shouted warning before her hand connected with Paul's cheek. Suddenly he wasn't laughing anymore. Instead his entire body was shaking violently as he snarled at her. Embry succeeded in pulling her away this time as fear finally broke through her anger.

"Too late now," the fourth man said, looking amused rather than upset like the rest.

"Get Bella out of here," Sam said, pulling Paul backwards as he began grunting and jerking in place. "Paul calm down."

It didn't seem to be helping anything. In the back of her mind, Bella knew what she was about to see. It didn't help prepare her for when Paul burst out of his skin and landed on four paws in the giant form of a grey wolf. Her blood ran cold as she took several slow steps back. Running wouldn't work. He'd overtake her in two or three bounds. But then she heard someone shouting her name and turned her head to see Jacob running out of his house in a pair of black basketball shorts.

"Jake," she breathed, shaking her head. "No don't-"

Embry didn't stop her as she stumbled forward to put herself between Jacob and the wolf. As he ran straight for her with no signs of slowing down, Bella threw herself to the ground just in time to hear the sound of cloth tearing and bones shifting. The heavy thud of a second animal hitting the ground pulled a gasp from her chest. Lifting her head slowly, Bella stared with disbelief at the russet wolf that was now between her and Paul, who let out a nasty growl and advanced several steps. Jacob responded with a warning snarl, digging his huge paws into the dirt as he stood his ground.

Then they were clashing, their sharp teeth barely missing each other as they fought, growled, and rolled their way into the forest where she could no longer see them. It took a while for the noise of their battle to fade away. When it was finally quieter, Bella still couldn't tear her eyes away from where Jake had landed mere feet away from her. She heard loud noises and her head finally jerked up only to see Embry and the fourth man laughing as Sam ran towards the trees.

"Get Bella back to Emily's," he ordered them over his shoulder.

"Guess the wolf's out of the bag," Embry said, winking down at Bella as he offered her his hand.

She let him tug her to her feet as the other man searched among the remains of Paul's clothes.

"HIs shoes are fucking shredded," he said with a shake of his head.

"Let's go Jared," Embry said, pulling Bella towards Jacob's house with his hand still clasped around hers. "You heard what Sam said."

"Yeah yeah."

He jogged forward as Embry led her to her truck.

"You good to drive?" he asked.

"Nah man, she's about to hurl," Jared said before she could answer.

"No way. She runs with vampires. She'll be fine."

"I bet you five bucks."

"You're on."

Minutes later, Bella found herself curled on the passenger side of her truck while Embry drove and Jared sat in the bed, claiming that he couldn't handle the smell of vomit in the morning.

"Hey don't throw up okay?" Embry muttered a few minutes later as he wound through the twisting roads of La Push.

Bella looked over at him, surprised to see that he still had kindness and humor in his eyes.

"I already owe him ten bucks," he said, shrugging one shoulder.

She simply nodded, taking deep breaths as she turned her head to stare out through the open window again. Bella was so deep within her thoughts that she didn't even noticed they pulled up to a house until he and Jared leapt out of the truck with a simultaneous howl. She assumed that it sounded more impressive when they were wolves. Shaking her head, she wondered how her mind could process this so quickly.

The house in front of her was beautiful and well-kept, with gorgeous flowers lining the porch and a welcoming presence that couldn't be faked. Still, Bella was hesitant to enter. She wanted to go find Jake and convince him to run away from all of this. There was also the temptation there to go home, bury her head beneath her pillow, and never come out lest she come across a leprechaun or Bigfoot.

"C'mon Bella!" Embry called to her, pausing on the porch steps. "We don't bite.'

He grinned at her, clearly amused by his own joke. Once she opened the door to climb out, he looked satisfied and turned to follow Jared inside. The smell of baked goods reached her nose as she ascended to the porch and hesitated at the open door. Though she had no idea where she was, there was something about this place that calmed her. It wasn't until she saw a woman with her back turned to her as she lifted large muffins from a baking tray that she remembered what Sam said to Embry. This must have been Emily.

"Do I even have to ask if you're hungry?" she said, her melodic voice pleasing to the ears.

As she turned around with a plateful of muffins and a bright smile on her lovely face, her eyes fell on Bella before the others.

"Who's this?" she asked, her eyes flickering from Bella to the two boys sitting eagerly at her large table.

"Bella," Embry said, his eyes trained on the baked goods she held.

Emily's eyes lit up with realization and Bella knew that she had her at a disadvantage.

"Leave it to Jacob to figure out a way around Sam's order," she said, shaking her head with a sigh.

"He didn't tell me," Bella broke in, not wanting him to get in trouble.

Three sets of eyes fell on her and she forced herself not to shrink away.

"He couldn't," Embry said as Emily set the plate down. "Werewolf thing. Any orders from the Alpha have to be obeyed. And get this, we can hear each other's thoughts."

Bella wasn't fazed like he must have thought she would be. Weird was almost normal to her now. But Jared still smacked the back of Embry's head, a scowl on his face.

"Don't give all of our secrets away to vampire girl, dammit," he said.

A cold feeling ran down her spine.

"Don't call me that," Bella said quickly.

They looked up at her and she cursed herself for speaking out so harshly. She didn't know these people, besides a few conversations with Embry, and she really didn't want them to see the broken pieces of her. But they hardly reacted. Instead of saying anything, Jared and Embry reached towards the pile of muffins. Emily's hand shot out and stopped them both with a mock disappointed look.

"Ladies first," she scolded before smiling up at Bella, a hint of understanding in her gaze. "Help yourself."

"Thanks," Bella muttered, grateful for the diversion from her outburst.

Her stomach was empty and she was surprised to find that she actually felt hungry. Grabbing one of the warm muffins, she chose to lean against the counter in the kitchen rather than sit at the table. It was probably rude but she had to keep some separation from the others so that she could actually let this all sink in. Tearing small pieces off, she watched Jared and Embry devour two each within minutes as she ate slowly.

"Leave some for your brothers," Emily reminded them.

Turning back to Bella, she shook her head and made her way back towards the oven.

"It takes a lot of energy for them to phase," she explained, answering a question that Bella didn't have to ask. "Which means they are always, always hungry."

Embry and Jared's conversation grew louder as they argued who was going to win the fight, Jacob or Paul. She didn't want to listen to what conclusion they came to and she really didn't want to know what happened to the loser in this situation. She just had to breathe and believe that Jacob was going to be okay.

"Do you need any help?" Bella asked.

Emily looked up at her with a surprise before nodding once.

"There's a few packages of bacon in there," she said, tilting her head towards the fridge. "You could start frying them if you want."

She welcomed the distraction, opening the large refrigerator only to see that Emily's definition of "a few packages of bacon" was way off. There was at least ten packages stacked up.

"All of them?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yep," Emily said, shooting her a smile. "Welcome to the fold."

Bella pulled them all out, balancing them in her arms as she crossed to the stove. As she pulled the plastic off, Emily pulled a large frying pan out of a cabinet and set it down on one of the burners as Bella thanked her quietly. They moved in tandem, cooking up inordinate amounts of eggs and bacon. The task, while simple, took Bella's mind off of her worries for just a few minutes and for that she was grateful. She barely even noticed Embry sneak up behind her, only letting out a startled yelp when his hand slipped past her and tried to snatch a piece of bacon straight from the pan. Emily's hand came down quickly, smacking him with a wooden spoon as he laughed and leapt away.

"Your reflexes will get better," the other woman promised her as she brandished the spoon threateningly towards both Jared and Embry.

"I think I'll leave that to you," Bella said quietly, pulling out a few plates to set the bacon on. "I'd probably end up breaking my hand or something."

"Jacob said you're pretty clumsy," Jared piped up.

She glanced over her shoulder at where he was smirking.

"That's putting it nicely," Bella said, shrugging one shoulder.

"Jacob thinks about you a lot," Embry said with a snicker, collapsing in his chair again. "We get treated to a never ending barrage of Bella Swan."

Turning around with a pink flush on her cheeks, Bella put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at both of them.

"Maybe I should ask Jake what you two think about," she said.

Emily laughed as both of the boys looked both admonished and impressed. Turning back around, Bella continued working on the bacon but this time she let herself be outside of her thoughts.

"Can you always hear what each other is thinking?" she asked.

"Nope. Only in wolf form," Embry said, ignoring Jared's noise of protest.

She nodded, filing the information away. There was no guessing what Jacob would decide to tell her. While they were in a sharing mood, she may as well ask.

"What else can you do?"

"We can run," Jared said, despite his annoyance at Embry giving out information. "Fast."

Bella peeked over her shoulder at him.

"Like vampires?" she asked curiously.

"Faster," Embry said with a proud grin.

"You scared yet?" Jared asked.

She scoffed, shaking her head as she turned her attention back to the bacon again.

"You're not the first monsters I've met."

"Jacob is right."

Her head turned quickly in time for her to see Sam walk through the door looking no worse for wear. He looked almost amused as he met her gaze.

"You're good with weird," he explained.

Bella glanced away from him before checking over his shoulder. Jacob wasn't there. She hoped that Sam's relaxed mood meant that he was okay and not suffering from some grievous injury because she was stupid enough to slap a werewolf. Her eyes caught on Sam once more as he made his way over to Emily, sliding his hands around her waist and pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. His embrace brought a radiant smile to her face that was hard for Bella to see. They looked so whole and happy that it caused the hole in her chest to throb painfully. She felt relieved when he stepped away from her to grab a muffin, which in turn made her feel horrible for resenting the happiness of other people.

A few minutes passed as Embry and Jared pressed Sam for details that he wasn't willing to give. Bella finished up her task just as Emily placed a huge platter of scrambled eggs on the table. Just as she turned to deliver the plates of bacon to the table as well, the sound of laughter floated through the door and she watched as Jacob and Paul came into view, shoving each other with smiles on their faces. Relief flooded through her at the sight of him unharmed by her careless mistake. When Paul walked through the door, she diverted her eyes away from him and set the bacon down next to the eggs only to see him sit down directly in her eyeline. Looking up at him warily, she found that he was studying her almost curiously, amusement written across his face. Sam nudged his arm and he smirked at her without flinching.

"Sorry for exploding on you," he said, reaching for a muffin.

"Sorry for hitting you," Bella said in return.

Paul laughed, not the cruel, mocking laugh from earlier, but a genuinely amused and partly surprised laugh. Bella briefly wondered why all of these people kept acting like she was consistently doing the unexpected. Feeling Jacob's eyes on her, she turned to meet his gaze. He stared back at her strangely, emotions flitting across his face that she couldn't quite place. There was more of her Jacob in his eyes, but not as much as before all of this happened. Bella would take it for now.

"Fuck!" Jared yelled as Embry cackled, both of them leaning across the table to inspect a jagged pink scar that ran up the length of Paul's arm.

"Pay up," Embry said, holding out his hand.

Jared grumbled, fishing a ten dollar bill out of his pocket. Bella nearly smiled as Embry beamed in her direction before she looked at Paul's arm curiously. Could Jake really have done that? If so, shouldn't a wound like that be gushing blood instead of nearly healed?

"Let's eat," Emily said, taking the seat on the other side of Sam.

"Bella and I are gonna go talk," Jacob broke in, looking unbothered as six sets of eyes settled on him. "We'll be back in a few minutes so don't eat everything."

"No promises," Embry said, already spooning a ridiculous amount of eggs onto his plate.

She didn't tear her eyes away from Jacob, only moving when he tilted his head in a silent plea for her to come with him. Stepping away from the table, Bella followed him outside and towards the forest that lined the back of Emily's house.

"Where are we going?" she asked, trailing his graceful steps.

"The beach is close," Jake said, glancing over his shoulder as he slowed down so that she could catch up.

Bella kept her head down, watching her feet to make sure that there was nothing to stumble over. Before all of this, they could fall into comfortable silences. Now the lack of conversation just seemed awkward and Bella hated it. Stopping short a few feet shy of the spot where dirt and trees turned into sand and rocks, she watched as Jacob turned around to face her.

"So you're a werewolf," she said, saying the first thing that came into her mind.

He almost looked amused, nodding his head.

"Last time I checked."

She bit down on her lower lip, looking anywhere but at him as she tried to gather her thoughts. It wasn't until she recognized the metallic taste of blood in her mouth that she realized she bit down a bit too hard. Lifting her hand, she wiped a drop of blood from her lip and looked at Jacob again.

"Can't you stop?" Bella asked, her heart picking up pace as he frowned at her. "What you're doing is wrong."

"Wrong?" he scoffed, looking angry.

Remembering Paul's reaction to anger, she took an instinctive step back.

"You kill people," Bella accused him, thinking of all the dead bodies and reports of large animals. "That's wrong, Jacob."

He looked away from her, his hands balling into fists as if he was trying to rein in his anger.

"How many people have your beloved leeches killed, huh?" Jacob asked, staring at a spot over her shoulder.

Bella didn't answer because she couldn't. She didn't know the true number between them all.

"They don't do it anymore," she said weakly.

"Yeah well I've never done it," Jake said, looking at her again. "I told you before, there's only one thing that we hunt."

Any relief she felt was overshadowed by the uncertainty.

"Then who is killing those campers?" Bella asked.

"Who do you think?"

She knew the answer. It was in front of her the entire time. If Victoria was hunting her in the area, she wouldn't stop there. She'd want to sate her hunger.

"It's my fault," Bella said, realization and dread filling her chest as she staggered backwards, her back meeting a tree trunk before she could fall.

Jacob darted forward, catching her with his hands on her arms before she could topple over. Her head swam as she tried to keep from completely melting down.

"She's here because of me," she said, looking up at Jacob with wide eyes.

"The redhead?"

Bella swallowed hard, nodding once.

"It's okay, Bella," he said, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "We'll get her."

"No you can't," she said, stepping towards him.

He met her panicked expression with calm levity.

"You can't kill her, Jake. She'll kill you."

His responding smirk did nothing to make her feel better.

"She won't be our first, Bella."

She looked at him strangely, wondering who else was in the area.

"Honestly we would have gotten her that day in the clearing if she hadn't almost taken Jared's arm off."

His hand dropped to her throat and she didn't pull away as he tugged the scarf down and lightly brushed his fingers over her bruises.

"I wanted to kill her more than anything when I saw what she was doing to you," he said, rage flashing in his eyes. "But I'll get my chance again. We've chased her to Canada three different times but she keeps coming back."

"For me," Bella reiterated, reaching up to take his hand. "The Cullens killed her mate. She wants revenge."

Jacob looked even angrier, if it was possible.

"So they just left you here unprotected?" he said through gritted teeth.

Bella inhaled sharply at the reminder, gripping his hand tightly. Remorse took over the fury on his face and he pulled her into his chest, holding her close.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, nearly pulling her off of her feet. "I'm so sorry for hurting you."

She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face in his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew that he was apologizing for more than just mentioning her abandonment. It was far too easy to forgive him now that she knew exactly what he'd been going through.

"Don't shut me out again," she pleaded, pulling away to look in his eyes.

Lifting her hand, she pressed it to his cheek. Sam was right. She did have a decision to make. Now that she knew the truth, she knew that there was no way she'd push Jacob away. Even if he had all of this to deal with, she'd take him in whatever form he came in because she needed him.

"Let me in," Bella said softly.

He leaned his head into her hand with a quiet sigh and his shoulders dropped as if a great burden had been lifted from them.

"I won't break my promise again," he vowed, lifting his hand to place it over hers.

Jacob turned his head, pressing a gentle kiss to the inside of her wrist where Victoria bruised her. Beneath the broken pieces of her heart and the uncertainty that she could ever be what he wanted, Bella felt warmth and pleasure at the small gesture. It took her by surprise and nearly made her pull away. But she didn't want to retreat. She didn't want to lean into her heartbreak. Standing there with Jacob, with the truth laid out and no more secrets between them, Bella wanted to feel for the first time since she found herself alone in that forest. It was terrifying.


End file.
